How To Stay Efficient When You Are Upset

We go through each day with different adventures and different possibilities. Although you may think that your work is the same every day, as a physician, you encounter different people, different personalities and different diseases. There are always going to be things which are unpredictable. We react to different situations differently. Sometimes we feel happy and excited. Sometimes we feel angry and upset. There is a whole spectrum of emotions we get to feel if we allow ourselves to feel them.

When you are angry or upset, no matter what it is that is causing you to feel this way, it is difficult for you to concentrate at work. You may be spending time asking yourself why certain things happen to you. You may also imagine what if those events did not happen, then you would not be upset. There is a question for you – what if the same events happened and you did not know about them? Would you be upset?

You are angry or upset because you have an opinion about what happened. Acknowledge your emotions. It is also important to recognize what you are thinking is causing you to feel upset. Allow its existence. It is not helpful to run away from your emotions. It may seem to be an effective and fast way to feel better – by avoiding unpleasant emotions. The problem is that, if you do not spend the time to acknowledge and process your emotions, they will build up to the point that it is too much for you to handle.

While you are feeling your emotions, when you are angry or upset, you do not have to let those unpleasant emotions stop you from fulfilling your responsibilities. It is important to take some time to breathe. Exercising may help to clear your mind. No matter what you do, it is important to allow yourself to feel the unpleasant emotions.

Sometimes, taking a break may be the next best step to do. If you are emotionally distraught, no matter how much you want to do your work well, it may be challenging to get it done well or timely. Taking a break allows you to settle down, take a step back and look at the situation from a different angle. No, you do not have to change your view to be positive about it. You can still be upset and be productive. It is vital to be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to feel the emotions. Allow yourself the time to process the emotions. You are doing the best you can. What can you see from the situation that is helpful or that you are thankful for?

Remember why you are doing what you are doing. It is possible to feel sad, angry, frustrated or other unpleasant emotions while still keeping your efficiency at work. Remember why you are seeing patients. Remember why you want to finish your work on time. Is there anything you can do to make certain things change? If yes, learn from your experience and do better next time. If not, acknowledge it and remind yourself that you did not cause it, you could not have changed anything. It is more helpful for you to do things to the best of your ability.

Lastly, which may sound hard to do, is to celebrate. I am not saying to celebrate the event that upset you. You can celebrate how you took care of the patients who have difficult medical problems. You can celebrate how you are able to concentrate despite being upset. You can celebrate because you did not allow your unpleasant emotions to stop you from caring for your patients.

There are going to be days you will experience more unpleasant emotions. You do not have to let them ruin your day or your productivity. By acknowledging and allowing your emotions, by intentionally not allowing those emotions to disrupt your work flow, be kind to yourself, breathe, exercise or take a break, will allow you to process your emotions. It is always important to remember why you are doing what you are doing. Finally, celebrating milestones or achievements will help with keeping your efficiency consistent.